US Repeals Online Security Law

US Repeals Online Security Law

Internet service providers will now have full access to personal data

The United States House of Representatives has voted to repeal a law which forced internet service providers to have user permission to share data. Put in place just days before the election of President Trump, the original law has now been overturned just five months later. Following the change, internet service providers will have full access to personal data like precise geo-location, financial information, children’s information, social security numbers and web browsing history. The U-turn was backed by Verizon and AT&T, who claimed that the restriction was “stricter” than the privacy laws that Facebook and Google are subjected to. It was also claimed that it would level the online playing field, by the head of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai. However, it has attracted anger from internet rights groups, who have said that it has “taken away privacy”. Evan Greer, from the rights group Fight for the Future, even suggested that it had shown that lawmakers “care more about the wishes of the corporations that fund their campaigns” than “the safety and security” of internet users.